Democrat

Democrat Ryan Greene has an uphill battle. He is trying to become the first Democrat to serve Wyoming in Congress since the late Teno Roncalio left office in 1978. Greene needs to defeat the well funded Republican Liz Cheney. Greene says he’s not a liberal Democrat, more in line with former Governors Dave Freudenthal and Mike Sullivan. He joins me to discuss some issues, starting with energy.

Wyoming Democratic U.S. House Candidate Ryan Greene is a Rock Springs native who brings an interesting background to the race. Greene works in the energy industry. Greene is one of two candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to become Wyoming’s next congressman.

He says he got into the race to help the energy industry recover and to create jobs. Greene tells Bob Beck that you do that diversifying both within and outside the energy industry.

According to a new study by the National Institute for Money in State Politics, Wyoming has the third lowest number of contested races for state legislature, tying with Arkansas for the spot. In 36% of its state races, there’s only one name on the ballot. Only Georgia and South Carolina have less competition in their state elections. Researcher Zach Holden says, yes, it’s because Wyoming is dominated by strong partisan politics. But it’s also a state without term limits.

U.S. Senator Mike Enzi is facing Charlie Hardy in the upcoming General Election. In his time in office Senator Enzi has been a key player on issues such as No Child Left Behind and the Affordable Care Act. We begin our conversation by discussing the ACA.

The Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate says the first words out of his mouth were Mommy, Daddy, and eminent domain. Charlie Hardy says he’s always had an interest in politics and in helping the poor. He did this as a former Roman Catholic Priest and he wants to do this as the next U.S. Senator. He speaks with Bob Beck.

The Democratic Candidate for Governor is Pete Gosar. Gosar is a Pinedale native who is the former chairman of the state democratic party and he currently serves on the state board of education.

He is a state pilot, a former school teacher, and in college he was a star defensive player for the Wyoming Cowboys. Gosar has been critical of Governor Mead’s leadership when it comes to issues like Medicaid expansion and has accused Mead of playing politics with his decisions. He joins us to discuss some issues.

Cheyenne-native and retired priest Charlie Hardy has announced his bid to run in the 2014 U.S. Senate race against incumbent Senator Mike Enzi. Hardy says he feels compelled to run because he wants to bring some of Wyoming’s values—like cooperation and respect—out to Washington. He says his opponent hasn’t done such a good job of representing Wyoming’s values.

“He is a very nice person, very pleasant person,” he says. “But if you look at the voting record, I think there’s been some voting that hasn’t been very nice and hasn’t really served the people of Wyoming.”

A review of state legislative work shows that 37 states are led by one party, and that has led to changes in many state laws across country. The report was published by Stateline, a news service of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Editor Sandy Johnson says having majorities in legislative bodies helps pass a lot of legislation, from pro-marijuana laws in more Democratic States to loosening gun laws in more Republican states like Wyoming. Johnson says that it’s led to other changes as well.